DATE:                         Thursday, 3.7.24 

TIME:                          4:00pm

LOCATION:              31-270

SPEAKER:                David Hall, Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering, Penn State

TOPIC:                       Mechanisms, Benefits, and Challenges of Boundary Layer Ingestion Propulsion

Abstract:  Boundary layer ingestion (BLI) is a propulsion concept where thrust is generated by accelerating flow in a vehicle’s boundary layer or wake. The lower momentum of this flow, relative to the free stream, means the thrust can be generated using less power than conventional propulsion, and BLI has been proposed for numerous high-efficiency aircraft concepts. This seminar will review the fundamental mechanisms of BLI power savings and challenges associated with performance of the propulsor turbomachinery. Wind tunnel experiments led by the GTL on the D8 “double bubble” aircraft concept demonstrated power savings with BLI on the order of 10% and characterized non-uniform engine inlet flows inherent to BLI. These inlet distortions have adverse effects on efficiency, aeromechanics, stability, and acoustics of BLI fans, and new analysis methods and design approaches are required for turbomachinery operating in non-axisymmetric flow to enable the potential benefits of BLI.

Bio: David K. Hall is an Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University, where he leads the Aircraft Propulsion Research Group, focused on developing advanced aircraft propulsion concepts for improved capability and environmental sustainability. Prior to joining the Penn State faculty in 2021, he led the Propulsion Group at Aurora Flight Sciences and worked as a Postdoctoral Associate and Research Engineer at the GTL. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, and Mathematics, from Duke University, and his S.M. and Ph.D. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT, where he worked as a graduate student in the GTL on the NASA N+3 project, supporting the development of the boundary layer ingesting propulsion system of the ultra-efficient D8 “double bubble” transport aircraft concept.